A new study from McGill University finds higher incidence of lung cancer and brain tumors in people exposed to wildfires. The study, which tracks over two million Canadians over a period of 20 years, is the first to examine how proximity to forest fires may influence cancer risk.


We are pleased to announce the appointment of Josée Dupuis, PhD, to the position of Chair, Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health (EBOH), School of Population and Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), McGill University, effective June 1, 2022. Prof. Dupuis replaces Rebecca Fuhrer, PhD, who has led the Department as Interim Chair since last September. We thank Prof.

Over one in four women (or 27 per cent) experience intimate partner violence before the age of 50, according to a worldwide analysis led by researchers from McGill University and the World Health Organization. The largest of its kind, the analysis covers 366 studies involving more than 2 million women in 161 countries.

In many U.S. states, children can legally marry at an earlier age than they can consent to sex, leading to situations where sex between spouses may be a criminal act. Some states exempt sex between married spouses from their definition of statutory rape, which may create perverse incentives for child marriage, according to researchers from McGill University.
Their findings, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, show that child marriages violated statutory rape laws in 14 states.

Twenty years’ worth of surveys suggest that nearly one in ten sexually active men in 35 countries in sub-Saharan Africa have been clients of sex workers. These men are about 50 percent more likely to be living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), according to a team of international researchers, including Professor Mathieu Maheu-Giroux and Caroline Hodgins of McGill University.
The IHSP's Alissa Koski and her colleague Shelley Clark have been receiving some media attention from their recent article:
Child Marriage in Canada
Koski A and Clark S
Population and Development Review (2021).
https://doi.org/10.1111/padr.12369
Published January 8th, 2021
Abstract:
The IHSP's Jill Baumgartner co-authored an article in Environment International:
Lee M, Carter E, Yan L, et al.

Canada is at the forefront of global efforts to end child marriage abroad. Yet this practice remains legal and persists across the country. In Canada, more than 3,600 marriage certificates were issued to children, usually girls, under the age of 18 between 2000 and 2018, according to a new study from researchers at McGill University. In recent years, an increasing number of child marriages have been common-law unions.
The IHSP's Arijit Nandi co-authored an article in Epidemiology:
Batomen B, Moore L, Strumpf E, Nandi A
Addressing competing risks when assessing the impact of health services interventions on hospital length of stay
Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.)
November 23, 2020 - Volume Published Ahead of Print
DOI: 10.1097/ede.0000000000001307. PMID: 33284168.
The IHSP's Jill Baumgartner co-authored an article in Chemosphere:
Santa-Rios A, Barst BD, Tejeda L, et al.
Dried blood spots to characterize mercury speciation and exposure in a Colombian artisanal and small-scale gold mining community
Chemosphere 2020, 129001, ISSN 0045-6535
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.129001
available online November 19, 2020
Abstract:
Arijit Nandi co-authored an article in Environmental Research:
Richardson RA, Harper S, Weichenthal S, et al.
Extremes in water availability and suicide: Evidence from a nationally representative sample of rural Indian adults
Environmental Research. 2020 Nov;190:109969.
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109969.
Abstract

McGill University professor Nicole Basta and her team have created an interactive online COVID-19 vaccine tracker, that provides real-time updates on progress in developing a safe and effective vaccine.

As countries struggle to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination uptake is a public health priority now more than ever. Efforts to increase vaccinations vary greatly around the globe. A new McGill-led study comparing policies around the world finds broad implementation of mandatory vaccination mandates. However, the penalties for failing to vaccinate differ significantly by country, ranging from fines to jail time.

Two in three hospitalized seniors are prescribed drugs that should be avoided by older adults, increasing the risk of injury and adverse drug reactions. Improving hospital prescribing practices can reduce the frequency of inappropriate medications and resulting harm, according to a new study led by McGill University researchers.

How does a pandemic affect the physical and psychological health of adults as they age? Does COVID-19 have an impact on the delivery of regular health-care services? Does a COVID-19 infection lead to long-term health problems affecting the lungs or brain?